Mice!!

[Thaigal]

I've always had a problem with mice in the loft since I moved into this house 6 years ago, sometimes they disapear for a few months but they always return. Usually they just make themselves known by scratching and scurrying noises in the loft or in the walls which doesn't bother me that much but once I saw one dart across the living room floor which scared the hell out of me and the same day I saw one run along the wall in the bedroom..and once I was awoken by a plastic bag being "scavanged" in the bedroom, it was that loud I thought it was either a burglar or DH, as soon as I spoke it stopped. Not sure if it was the same mouse but that's the only time I've seen or heard them in the actual "living areas" of the house...and this was a couple of years ago.

Now, for the past few nights I have been kept awake by loud scurrying which "sounds" like it is actually in the bedroom, last night was the worst when it sounded like things were being moved or knocked into on the drawers and computer desk as well as noises on the floor...I've not seen anything but today I've set 3 traps, one in the boiler cupboard which has holes directly into the floorboards and into the walls so I assume they would come in here, one behind the computer desk and one behind the drawers...this was about 1 hour ago, no traps have been triggered but one of them is missing the bait!!! (a cherio! ) is this a sure sign of mice in the bedroom?

Is there any other way of being certain that they're in the actual house or does anyone have any general advice about bait etc? (no I'm not bothered about being humane!).

I'm very afraid of them so please help!

Right, plan of action

Cheap wooden "snap on the back of the neck" traps from somewhere like B & Q. - buy plenty of traps so that you can throw the whole thing away with dead mouse still in it if you are squeamish about the little blighters. Get a long handled child's plastic seaside type spade and you can scoop the whole thing up into a carrier bag and put it in the rubbish easily without touching anything.

Bait the traps with peanut butter or chocolate spread and put them along the edges of the affected rooms at a 90 degree
angle to the skirting board with the bait nearest the wall. Mice like a bit of cover so if you lean a large book or picture frame up against the wall in front of the trap to make a sort of lean-too triangular shape this encourages them to stop and investigate the bait/trap

Keep trapping until you get no more mice and then test-trap once a month or so for a few nights. Keep a stock of traps in your cupboard so that you can get down to business straightaway if/when they return

Don't bother with a cat, they can be worse than useless, mine bring the little blighters home for tea and then let them go which is how we end up with them at our house to start with!